greener living organic soap nuts

If you’ve been following my blog for very long you know that green living and using eco-friendly products is important to me. You probably also know that I am in college, and so is my boyfriend. Meaning, we don’t have tons of cash flowing around. So although I am always looking for ways to be green, I am always forced to decide if I can afford to go green based on the cost. Most ways of going green are expensive, or at least a bit more costly than the less eco-friendly ways. I love finding ways to go green that actually saves money. Love isn’t really even the right word for it. I REALLY love that! I was thrilled to get the chance to try out some soap nuts. What are soap nuts? Soap nuts come from a tree that is found in south asian countries that contain a natural soap-like ingredient. The nuts grow naturally and are not treated in any way. They are simply laid out to dry.They can be used for many things, but I used them as an alternative to traditional laundry detergent. Instead of pouring a cap or scoop full, you put a few nuts in a small bag and throw them in with your laundry. 4 nuts in a small bag will last for 4 or 5 washes. The nuts will become soft and grayish when they are ‘used up’. Their 1.1lb bag costs 22.00 and will last for 150-200 loads of laundry. Meaning, if you do 1 load of laundry a day, the 22.00 bag will last you for 6 months! Seems how I just do laundry for Ryan and I, I only do 2-3 loads a week. So this bag will last us over a year! A years worth of laundry for 22.00? That’s the kind of eco-friendly that I can afford!

The only downsides I can come up with about this product is I have a hard time remembering to grab the soap nut bag out of the washer, before putting my clothes in the dryer.

soap nuts bath bar

Every time I’ve used the soap nuts I’ve moved the clothes over to the dryer without searching for the little bag. So then a few minutes after I start the dryer I remember and have to pull the clothes out of the dryer to search for the little bag. Also, both the soap bar and the soap nuts themselves have a strong, slightly strange smell before being used. It almost reminds me of a vinegar like smell, which some people may find unpleasant. However the smell is not present in my clothes after the have been washed with the soap nuts and the soap doesn’t stay on me after bathing with the soap bar. Overall I really love both products and plan to continue using these in the future.